plural bears
often attributive
1
or plural bear
: any of a family (Ursidae of the order Carnivora) of large heavy mammals of the Americas and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, short tails, and plantigrade feet with nonretractile claws and that are mainly omnivorous but include some that are primarily carnivorous (as the polar bear) or herbivorous (as the giant panda)
Bears in northern climates go into dens during the winter months. This behavior is an adaptation which allows the bears to avoid the harshest months when food is scarce.—
James E. Cardoza et al.
James E. Cardoza et al.2
a
: someone who resembles a bear (as in build, gait, or temperament)
a tall, friendly bear of a man
Beau was an absolute bear in the morning—miserable and cranky …—Eva Jacob Barkoff
Eva Jacob Barkoff
b
sometimes Bear slang
: a burly, hairy, and often bearded gay or bisexual man
… you'll find many self-identifying gay bears with different degrees of hair, fat, and muscle.—Jamie Valentino
Jamie Valentino3
[probably from the proverb about selling the bearskin before catching the bear]
: one that sells securities or commodities in expectation of a price decline
… bears selling previously overbought cryptocurrencies.—Crypto Breaking News
compare bull
Crypto Breaking News4
: something difficult to do or deal with
The oven is a bear to clean.
1
a
: to accept or endure especially without succumbing : put up with
How do you bear the heat?
—usually used in questions and negative statements with can, can't, could, and couldn'tcouldn't bear the loss
I can't bear seeing you cry.
Pain is a mystery. Who knows why it is visited upon us! We can only bear it.—Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith
b
: to be worthy of (something) : to deserve or allow (something)
it bears watching
His dreams did not bear discussion.—Hilary Mantel
Hilary Mantel
d
: to support the weight of : sustain
columns that bear the roof
e
: to hold above, on top, or aloft
a table bearing several vases
f
: to be capable of sustaining : withstand
a work that doesn't bear close scrutiny
2
a
: to move while holding up and supporting (something) : carry
arrived bearing gifts
a leaf borne away by the wind
diseases borne by rodents
b
: to have as a feature or characteristic
bears a likeness to her grandmother
still bore scars from the accident
a letter bearing the date of 1900
c
: to be equipped or furnished with (something)
a knight bearing a sword and shield
d
: to have as an identification
bore the name of John
e
: to hold in the mind or emotions
bears a grudge against the opposing team
g
: to give as testimony
bear false witness
h
: disseminate
hate to be the one bearing bad news
3
1
a
: to go or incline in an indicated direction
Bear left at the fork in the road.
b
: to extend in a direction indicated or implied
a stream bearing south for several miles
c
: to be situated : lie
The land bears north by east.
d
: to become directed
brought all her imagination to bear on the project
2
3
: to produce fruit : yield
plants that bear well
4
: to support a weight or strain
—often used with up
not sure how well the thawing pond ice will bear up
see also:
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Usage Note on Bear
There is considerable confusion between the verbs bear and bare. It may help to remember that the verb bare has only one meaning: "to uncover," as in "bare your shoulders" and "a dog baring its teeth." All other uses of the verb are for bear: "bearing children," "the right to bear arms," "bearing up under the stress/weight," "can't bear the thought," "bear south," "it bears repeating."
There is occasional confusion between bear and bare in adjectival uses (as in "he rubbed his bear arms"), but bear is properly a noun and only used like an adjective in the financial phrase bear market. All other uses refer to the state of being uncovered or naked and should therefore be bare: "bare necessities," "bare essentials," "bare arms," "bare bones," "bare-knuckle," and so on.
Examples of bear in a Sentence
Noun
Traffic in Knoxville, Tennessee, can be a bear anytime, but in late spring the slowdowns on Neyland Drive are often caused by Canada geese.
—Joelle Anthony, Audubon, November-December 2004
True, the rally has been around the corner since Memorial Day. But bears have dominated market sentiment for so long since the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates last February, that traders feel the market is headed for a major tectonic shift …
—Anthony Ramirez, New York Times, 19 July 1994
Hikers in the woods are far more likely to wear a bell to deter bears than to take precautions against bees. But bears kill two to seven people in North America annually, bee stings kill 600 to 900.
—Allan J. Davison, Chemical & Engineering News, 15 Mar. 1993
a mother bear and her cubs
The bears outnumbered the bulls on Wall Street today.
Verb
A stone slab bearing 3,000-year-old writing previously unknown to scholars has been found in the Mexican state of Veracruz, and archaeologists say it is an example of the oldest script ever discovered in the Western Hemisphere.
—John Noble Wilford, New York Times, 15 Sept. 2006
Large public buildings often bear only a loose resemblance to what was originally in the minds of the architects who designed them. Things get cut back to save money; somebody has second thoughts about the way part of the building will function; it takes so long to get public approval that the original idea starts to seem dated …
—Paul Goldberger, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2002
The most famous work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), of course, was purifying milk with the process that now bears his name.
—Brendan Miniter, American Enterprise, September/October 1998
In so-called parking schemes, securities aren't carried on the books of the true owner but are temporarily sold to someone else with the understanding that the seller will continue to bear any risk of loss and reap any profits.
—James B. Stewart, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1993
As a science fiction buff, many years ago, I remember being particularly fascinated by tales of genetic surgery. Imagine the surgeon … peering through the electron microscope, repairing the sickle-cell gene and returning the ovum to its mother, who would then bear a normal child.
—Richard Novick, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 1987
The sight of Niña already there, snugged down as if she had been at home a month, finished Martín Alonso Pinzón. Older than Columbus, ill from the hardships of the voyage, mortified by his snub from the Sovereigns, he could bear no more.
—Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1974
a symphony that can bear comparison with Beethoven's best
The company agreed to bear the costs.
The criminals must bear full responsibility for the deaths of these innocent people.
Who will bear the blame for this tragedy?
Joelle Anthony, Audubon, November-December 2004
True, the rally has been around the corner since Memorial Day. But bears have dominated market sentiment for so long since the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates last February, that traders feel the market is headed for a major tectonic shift …
—Anthony Ramirez, New York Times, 19 July 1994
Hikers in the woods are far more likely to wear a bell to deter bears than to take precautions against bees. But bears kill two to seven people in North America annually, bee stings kill 600 to 900.
—Allan J. Davison, Chemical & Engineering News, 15 Mar. 1993
a mother bear and her cubs
The bears outnumbered the bulls on Wall Street today.
Verb
A stone slab bearing 3,000-year-old writing previously unknown to scholars has been found in the Mexican state of Veracruz, and archaeologists say it is an example of the oldest script ever discovered in the Western Hemisphere.
—John Noble Wilford, New York Times, 15 Sept. 2006
Large public buildings often bear only a loose resemblance to what was originally in the minds of the architects who designed them. Things get cut back to save money; somebody has second thoughts about the way part of the building will function; it takes so long to get public approval that the original idea starts to seem dated …
—Paul Goldberger, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2002
The most famous work of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), of course, was purifying milk with the process that now bears his name.
—Brendan Miniter, American Enterprise, September/October 1998
In so-called parking schemes, securities aren't carried on the books of the true owner but are temporarily sold to someone else with the understanding that the seller will continue to bear any risk of loss and reap any profits.
—James B. Stewart, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1993
As a science fiction buff, many years ago, I remember being particularly fascinated by tales of genetic surgery. Imagine the surgeon … peering through the electron microscope, repairing the sickle-cell gene and returning the ovum to its mother, who would then bear a normal child.
—Richard Novick, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 1987
The sight of Niña already there, snugged down as if she had been at home a month, finished Martín Alonso Pinzón. Older than Columbus, ill from the hardships of the voyage, mortified by his snub from the Sovereigns, he could bear no more.
—Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1974
a symphony that can bear comparison with Beethoven's best
The company agreed to bear the costs.
The criminals must bear full responsibility for the deaths of these innocent people.
Who will bear the blame for this tragedy?
Recent Examples on the Web
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Our fearless hunting party hears another gunshot, and all eyes land on Captain Cunningham standing over a bear carcass.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Mike Snider, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
Henry fit in caregivers' palms when the penguin was born and will probably grow to be about a foot tall.
—Kyle Melnick The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Now people on Fraser’s Ridge are getting taken out by way of bear?
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Our fearless hunting party hears another gunshot, and all eyes land on Captain Cunningham standing over a bear carcass.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
The court rejected a challenge arguing the rule, which became law in May 2025, should not retroactively apply to descendants of Italians born before the new law's enaction.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
Henry fit in caregivers' palms when the penguin was born and will probably grow to be about a foot tall.
—Kyle Melnick The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bear
Cite this Entry
“Bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bear
1 of 2 noun
ˈba(ə)r 
ˈbe(ə)r
plural bears
1
or plural bear
: any of a family of large heavy mammals that have long shaggy hair and small tails and feed largely on fruit, plants, and insects as well as on flesh
2
: a rude, burly, or clumsy person
a real bear in the morning
a great bear of a man
3
: a person who sells stocks or bonds in the expectation that the price will go down
bearish
adjective
ˈba(ə)r-ish,
ˈbe(ə)r-
bear
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to move while holding up and supporting : carry
the right to bear arms
arrived bearing gifts
b
: to hold in the mind
bear a grudge
c
: behave sense 1
bore himself like a gentleman
d
: to give as testimony
bear false witness
e
: to have as a feature or characteristic
bears marks of suffering
bore a resemblance to her aunt
2
a
: to give birth to
bear children
the baby was born last week
b
: to bring forth : produce
bear fruit
3
a
: to hold up : support
b
: to put up with : stand
I can't bear the suspense
c
: assume sense 1
bore the costs
bear the blame
4
: to push down on : press
bears down on her pencil
5
: to move or lie in an indicated direction
bear right at the fork in the road
6
a
: to have a relation to the matter at hand
facts bearing on the question
b
: to exercise force or influence
bring pressure to bear
Etymology
Noun
Old English bera "a bear"
Verb
Old English beran "to carry, support"
Medical Definition
bear
transitive verb
bore
ˈbō(ə)r, ˈbȯ(ə)r
; borne
ˈbō(ə)rn, ˈbȯ(ə)rn
also born
ˈbȯ(ə)rn
; bearing
; borne
ˈbō(ə)rn, ˈbȯ(ə)rn
also born
ˈbȯ(ə)rn
; bearing
: to give birth to
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